Random tunage from my iPod

Here's what's randomly played on my iPod this morning (out of 1000 tunes)

Pregnant Pause - Daniel Amos
There She Goes - Sixpence None the Richer
Sanctuary - Daniel Amos
BPD - Over the Rhine
Create In Me A Clean Heart - Keith Green
Cold Cold Night - the 77's
The Lust, The Flesh, The Eyes and the Pride of Life - Smalltown Poets
River of Grace - Rick Altizer
Horrendous Disc (UK mix) - Daniel Amos
Shaded Pain - Lifesavers Underground
Holy, Holy, Holy - Ashley Cleveland
I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For - U2
Winter Waltz - Monk
You Satisfy - Lost Dogs
How Many - Rick Altizer

back pain blues

I'm at home with a sore back today. It seems that working with boxes at the warehouse over the last three weeks has finally caught up with me. Fortunately, we just got DSL at home, so I can enjoy the web while laying here with a heating pad on my back.

Pat is at it again....

Well everyone's favorite evangelical crackpot is at it again. This time he is claiming that Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's stroke was God's judgement upon him for clearing out the Gaza settlements. Cringe!

I consider myself to a be a pro-Israel, conservative but I draw the line when it comes to ascribing events in the natural world to God Almighty (especially when it comes to Israel). I don't know the mind of God. Does God approve or disapprove of peace between Israel and the Palestinians? I don't believe there is a simple answer to that question. Can the modern state of Israel rightfully claim the moniker and blessings of "the chosen people" of the Old Testament? How did Christ's ministry, death and resurrection change God's relationship with the political state of Israel? Should the state of Israel be given a free pass on issues of human and civil rights in that name of being God's chosen people? Does God really mete out judgement on those nations that support the peace process by sending hurricanes and earthquakes (some interpret our recent hurricane troubles to our support of the Israeli peace plan)?

I for one am skeptical of such claims. Is it possible - yes (God is sovereign and can do what He pleases no matter how strange it may seem to me). Does God intervene in the lives of his people and in the events on this earth - I would again say yes (to say otherwise would make me a Deist). But I believe that we need to be careful in interpreting the "hand of God" into historical and current events. We don't have the whole picture. We cannot know the whole mind of God. What we do have is the Word of God as revealed in the Bible that provides glimpses into the mind of God and shows some of the ways in which He has interacted with his creation. In our attempts to divine "purpose" behind historical, current, and tragic events, we must exercise both humility and faith. Our humility acknowledges that God can not be put in a box ("My ways are higher than your ways" Isaiah 55:8-9), and our faith acknowledges that God's sovereign will is being worked out by both visible and invisible means.

Pat Robertson seems to lack humility when he opens his rather large mouth to make his proclamations. On what authority does Mr. Robertson base his opinions? Has God given Pat Robertson special revelation? Let us also remember that Pat also claimed that the events of 9/11 were God's judgement against America and that God is also going to rain judgement down on Orlando, FL because Disney has a gay day.

So I once again say to Pat, "Shut Your Pie-hole!!!"

Is Walmart Good for America?

Last night, I caught most of the PBS/Frontline documentary Is Walmart Good for America. It was a fascinating look at the mega-retailer, free trade, our trade imbalance with China, and our modern consumption-based economy.

Frontline doesn't hide its bias very well, but it is still a thought provoking program. I don't believe there is a simple answer to the question. Walmart may indeed bully its suppliers and exacerbate our trade imbalance. Is this a reflection of Walmart's lack of ethics or the result of a changing market forces in a new global economy? Probably both. So how should I as the average joe consumer supposed to respond? Boycott Walmart? If I did that, I'd probably have to boycott every other major "big box" retailer in the area. That limits my options and means higher prices for the goods I need. Is that good for America? Bob Dylan penned the song "The Times They are a Changin'" and I think we are indeed in one of those great transition times (at least economically).

I would have liked to have seen some probing into the role unions have played in the exodus of manufacturing jobs from the US. Chinese workers may be underpaid, but US workers in the last 30 years have been over paid (one worker featured in the program was being paid over 50k a year to operate a machine - why get an education if you can do that?). Too what degree have unions gotten too greedy in demanding their "fair share" of the pie thus pushing corporations to outsource to cheaper labor markets? You probably won't hear too many in the mainstream media ask that question? Walmart is a much easier target.

2005: The Year in Review

Well another year has come and gone, so I'll take this time to blog the highlights:

Mt. View Baptist Church
In December of '04, two congregations (Mt. View and New Life Community Church) voted to merge into one. We were attending New Life at the time and watched the merger unfold this past year. In the spring, we were part of the first membership class and officially cast our lot with the church. Despite the inevitable conflicts and setbacks, we remain convinced that the merger created a stronger church than either had been prior and that God is at work in our midst.

Family
It is wild to watch our little girls mature before our eyes. I won't take the time here to reminisce on all that they have done in 2005, but I hope I can write more about them in the near future. Here are some photos posted earlier this year: Taylor & Addy, Muddy Addy, and family picnic.

Bethel College
I taught four classes this year. Each experience has stretched me as a "teacher" and I have discovered new facets about the past (and about myself) each time through. I'm looking forward to the three classes already scheduled in the new year.

Travel
In April, Janell and I celebrated our 9th anniversary by visiting Monteagle, the University of the South and South Cumberland State Park.

We also took two family road trips to Frederick County, Maryland to visit my in-laws. Our trip in June was all about leisure and relaxation: riding on/driving Dad's new tractor, visiting the National Zoo, overeating, playing games, and laughing heartily. And our trip over Labor Day was dedicated to family - a chance to visit with Uncles, Aunts & Cousins galore and with Janell's brother Matt before his first deployment to Iraq.

Finally, we traveled to Knoxville for Christmas at my parent's place where we were joined by my sisters, bro-inlaws and grandmothers, one niece, one uncle/aunt combo, Janell's parents, 2 of her brothers, and a few family friends. I think there were 21 of us at Christmas dinner. My sister, Rebecca, is expecting in May and everyone learned the baby's gender on Christmas Eve - I'm going to have a nephew.

Friends
We have been blessed by the many friendships we have developed over the years. Many of you we hung out with this year (playing games, breaking bread together, laughing with and at each other, and encouraging one another). We also added many new friends to our list this year and heard from old friends as well. In particular it was nice to receive word and photos from Jason, Schimpf, Shelly, and April.

It was also the year for blogging as several of my friends started blogs of their own: Scott's Confessions, Mark Jackson's aka Pastor Guy and the One Hundred, Mark Pucket's Missionary Musings, Paul's Zion Red's Head, and Jeff's Thanks For Noticing Me.

Exercise
Janell joined Gold's Gym back in '04 and has kept with it throughout the year - capped by running her first 5k run this fall. I've been trying to go to the gym at work two days a week since July. It's not much, but it's a start.

Music
2005 was the year of the .mp3 for me - I spent quite a few hours ripping my cd collection to my laptop this year and I officially joined the iPod crowd this Christmas.

CT Magazines' Music Site posted their top 12 albums of the year. I purchased five of them and have two others on my wishlist (Room Noises by Eisley and The Everglow by Mae).

Here's my favorite albums of the year
1. How to Dismantle An Atomic Bomb - U2
2. O How the Mighty Have Fallen - The Choir
3. A Collision - David Crowder Band
4. Men and Angels Say - Ashley Cleveland
5. Nothing Is Sound - Switchfoot
6. Redemption Songs - Jars of Clay
7. Drunkard's Prayer - Over the Rhine

Discovery of the year: Mindy Smith's song Come to Jesus (view video here)

Movies

Janell and I don't get out to the theater like we used to (before kids) but here is a list of my favorites:
1. Batman Begins
2. Star Wars Revenge of the Sith
3. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
4. Wallace and grommet
5. Hitch

and here's is my top ten movies I didn't see in 2005 that I'd like to:

1. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (we may see it this weekend)
2. Walk the Line
3. King Kong
4. Millions
5. Cinderella Man
6. Elizabethtown
7. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
8. Tim Burton's Corpse Bride
9. War of the Worlds
10. The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy

Highlights on video this year:
Napoleon Dynamite, The Gathering Storm, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, The Village, All's Quiet on the Western Front, and Luther

Books
Janell does more reading than I do. In particular she read (and discussed with me) Winston Churchill's World War II memoirs (abridged edition) and a two volume biography on Churchill by William Manchester. Currently, we are both working on Manchester's history of the U.S.(1932-72) called The Glory and the Dream. We also re-read The Count of Monte Cristo and Harry Potter and the Half-blood Prince. I plan to dust off the Chronicles of Narnia as soon as we see the movie.

Katrina Relief
In October, I went to the Gulf Coast with a group from my church to assist with cleanup and recovery efforts. See my blog posts for details and photos (Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Recap) It was a great experience and I hope to more similar projects in the future.

Politics
I haven't blogged much this year on politics (here, here, and here). It's been a difficult year for this conservative Bush supporter.
First, the President's social security reform proposals went absolutely nowhere dooming my generation to pickup the tab for our parents' and grandparents' selfishness.
The War on Terror has had its moments of both triumph and tragedy this year, but the key is to hold the course. I'm concerned that we as a nation don't have the same character as the Greatest Generation necessary to win a sustained conflict against evil men. Remember the men and women of the armed forces in your prayers and support them in whatever small way you can.
The confirmation of Justice Roberts was a bright spot in 2005. Bush's nomination of Myers was a tactical mistake (Alito should be confirmed).
Then Katrina brought out the worst from our leaders. Bush made mistakes, but received more than his fair share of the blame for problems in the rescue and recovery. In a just world, local and state leaders (in Louisiana) should be voted out of office for their inept handling of the affair and the shameless way they passed the buck.
A federal judge has saved us from the nefarious plot to mention the words Intelligent Design in biology class despite polls that indicates that a majority of Americans believe in either creationism or ID. The 1st Amendment is supposed to protect free speech and is not about expunging all references to religion from the public square.
And now we have a media-storm over domestic spying - coming from the same people who said Bush didn't do enough to prevent the 9/11 attacks.
All in all a difficult year - I've cussed the NPR broadcast multiple times this year. Here's hoping for a brighter 2006.

Underdogs - season wrap-up

Well, I finished the regular season with 75 points. Here were my final picks (weeks 13 & 14).

Georgia 3.5 GEORGIA TECH
MIAMI 18.5 Virginia
Middle Tennessee State 7 TROY STATE
NAVY 6.5 Army
TEXAS 27.5 Colorado
lsu 1.5 GEORGIA

Congratulations to Scott for his impressive 149.5 points (17th overall).

What hit song of 2005 are you?

Your 2005 Song Is

Beverly Hills by Weezer "My automobile is a piece of crap My fashion sense is a little whack And my friends are just as screwy as me" You breezed through 2005 in your own funky style!

What Hit Song of 2005 Are You?

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Thanksgiving is an important holiday that often gets overlooked. Giving thanks for the blessings we enjoy as individuals and as a nation seems so 19th century, non-commercial, and irrelevant in the post-modern world. Many mock the idea of a divine power, and those who don't are too busy overeating, going to the movies, watching football, and shopping. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy most of these activities (except the shopping). It's just that I/we have so much to be thankful for. Setting one day aside to reflect on the blessings doesn't seem too much to ask.

So, here's my Top 5 things I am thankful for this season:

- Amazing Grace (how sweet the sound)

- Family (a wonderful wife, two healthy kids, a rich spiritual heritage...)

- The Church (the Bride of Christ in all her "glorious dregs" - and in particular my local church body)

- Good friends (both local and abroad)

- Being born in America (Even with all its imperfections, this country is still a great place to live and be citizen of)

Underdogs: weeks 11 & 12

Week 11:
MISSOURI 8 Baylor
usc (Southern California) 19 CALIFORNIA
Florida 4.5 SOUTH CAROLINA

Steve Spurrier proved that he is still a winner with Florida ;-)
Point total: 73.5

Week 12 picks:
TEXAS TECH 7 Oklahoma
AUBURN 7 Alabama
Penn State 7.5 MICHIGAN STATE

Dwight Ozard 1963-2005

Writer, editor, culture critic, social activist, and self-proclaimed "worldly" Christian, Dwight Ozard, passed away this week after a 4-year battle with multiple myeloma.

I was first exposed to his work through the organization Evangelicals for Social Action (ESA). At Cornerstone 1997, they sponsored a series of seminars on music and culture and released a compilation cd to promote their magazine Prism.

I can't say that I knew Dwight personally, but for the last 4 years I've followed his battle with cancer through his writing (Mike Roe of the 77s would forward those e-mails to the listserve). His writing always educated me to the struggles cancer brings and stirred in me a compassion for those who have that horrendous disease. But he didn't want his readers to just feel sorry for him - he consistently prodded us to take that compassion and spread it around to the sick, the poor, the hurting all around us. In one of his earliest updates he says

And even as I've felt so at home, I've wondered about those who get news like this and have no support base, who don't feel at home in the church. I've thought, especially, about how people with HIV-AIDS must feel--and if they get the same sense of embrace that I received. No need to preach here--I just invite you to think about that with me, and when you pray for me, remember too to pray for those on the margins of our society, those who have no family, no support, and no love.

You can read about his battle along with his other writings at his website.

To many, Dwight was a bit of a "evangelical" rebel in the vein of Tony Campolo. I know,I didn't always agree with his points of view or his politics, but I'm convinced that he was good for the church. Sometimes calling us to greater levels of compassion and at other times holding up a mirror so that we could see just how silly and irrelevant we can be. I for one am grateful for the small impact his life has had on mine.

Now he is home with his maker - free to rest after an arduous battle and enjoy a grand reunion with all the saints that preceded him.